R357 Religions in Japan (3 cr) MW 2:30-3:45 TV245 (McRae)
**Carries COAS Culture Studies Credit

This course is an introductory survey of religious movements in Japan,
from ancient times to the present.  We will discuss a wide range of
religious phenomena, including the oldest myths about the founding of
the Japanese state and the earliest evidence for folk religion there;
the introduction of Buddhism from China and the formation of Shinto:
the development of Buddhist schools from ancient times up to the
present; the emergence of Shinto as a self-consciously independent
tradition in modern times; the shared patterns with the diverse range
of "new religions" in modern and contemporary Japan; and the role of
religion in contemporary Japanese life.